Sep 3, 2018 8:38 pm
This thread will contain much of what you need to know about characters in the system.
Making a character in 8 easy steps (from Dragon Age core rulebook)
Making a Dragon Age character is a straightforward process that you can complete in nine easy steps. The steps are listed here, and the rest of the chapter covers each step in order.
1. Create a character concept. This is a rough idea of the sort of character you’d like to play.
2. Determine abilities. These are your character’s core physical and mental attributes.
3. Choose a background. This represents your culture and upbringing, and also determines your race (dwarf, elf, human, or Qunari).
4. Choose a class. This is your character’s calling in life. You can choose mage, rogue, or warrior.
5. Pick starting equipment. Your character needs gear before the adventures begin.
6. Calculate Defense and Speed. This helps your character survive combat encounters.
7. Pick a name. Every hero needs a good name!
8. Choose goals and character ties. They help give your character personality.
Abilities
Your character is defined by eight abilities: Communication, Constitution, Cunning, Dexterity, Magic, Perception, Strength, and Willpower. Taken together these abilities map out your character’s strengths and weaknesses. You determine your abilities randomly by rolling dice, giving each one a numeric rating ranging from –2 to 4. The higher the ability, the better. A –2 is quite awful while a 4 is outstanding; a 1 is average.
These can be assigned or rolled.
Assigning: Each of the nine attributes starts at 0. You get 10 advancements. Each advancement increases a stat by +1. No stat can be higher than +3. You must spend all 10. There are no additional advancements earned by reducing a stat.
Rolling: Roll 3d6 eight times in order. The attribute is then looked up as follows:
3: -2
4-5: -1
6-8: 0
9-11: +1
12-14: +2
15-17: +3
18: +4
After rolling, you can swap any two.
These Abilities will later be modified by racial traits.
During play your abilities can increase as you gain experience and learn how to better harness your natural aptitudes.Abilities are a key component of the game and you’ll be using them frequently. You’ll find it useful to understand the nature of each ability, so descriptions of them follow.
• Communication covers your character’s social skills, personal interactions, and ability to deal with others.
• Constitution is your character’s fortitude and resistance to harm.
• Cunning is a measure of your character's intelligence, knowledge, and education.
• Dexterity encompasses your character’s agility, hand-eye coordination, and quickness.
• Magic determines your character's innate arcane power.
• Perception covers all the senses and the ability to interpret sensory data.
• Strength is your character’s physical prowess.
• Willpower encompasses mental toughness, discipline, and confidence.
Ability Focuses
These customize the abilities above, like specializations. In game system terms, if you have a focus, your ability is effectively 2 higher than normal when working within that specialty.
Your character will get access to focuses through backgrounds, classes, and talents. Dragon Age includes the following focuses:
• Communication Focuses: Animal Handling, Bargaining, Deception, Disguise, Etiquette, Gambling, Investigation, Leadership, Performance, Persuasion, Seduction.
• Constitution Focuses: Drinking, Rowing, Running, Stamina, Swimming.
• Cunning: Arcane Lore, Brewing, Cartography, Cryptography, Cultural Lore, Enchantment, Engineering, Evaluation, Healing, Heraldry, Historical Lore, Military Lore, Musical Lore, Natural Lore, Navigation, Poison Lore, Qun, Research, Religious Lore, Writing
• Dexterity Focuses: Acrobatics, Bows, Brawling, Calligraphy, Crafting, Dueling, Grenades, Initiative, Legerdemain, Light Blades, Lock Picking, Riding, Staves, Stealth, Traps.
• Magic: Arcane Lance, Blood, Creation, Entropy, Primal, Spirit
• Perception Focuses: Detect Darkvision, Empathy, Hearing, Searching, Seeing, Smelling, Tracking.
• Strength Focuses: Axes, Bludgeons, Climbing, Driving, Heavy Blades, Intimidation, Jumping, Lances, Might, Polearms, Smithing, Spears.
• Willpower Focuses: Courage, Faith, Morale, Self-Discipline.
Making a character in 8 easy steps (from Dragon Age core rulebook)
Making a Dragon Age character is a straightforward process that you can complete in nine easy steps. The steps are listed here, and the rest of the chapter covers each step in order.
1. Create a character concept. This is a rough idea of the sort of character you’d like to play.
2. Determine abilities. These are your character’s core physical and mental attributes.
3. Choose a background. This represents your culture and upbringing, and also determines your race (dwarf, elf, human, or Qunari).
4. Choose a class. This is your character’s calling in life. You can choose mage, rogue, or warrior.
5. Pick starting equipment. Your character needs gear before the adventures begin.
6. Calculate Defense and Speed. This helps your character survive combat encounters.
7. Pick a name. Every hero needs a good name!
8. Choose goals and character ties. They help give your character personality.
Abilities
Your character is defined by eight abilities: Communication, Constitution, Cunning, Dexterity, Magic, Perception, Strength, and Willpower. Taken together these abilities map out your character’s strengths and weaknesses. You determine your abilities randomly by rolling dice, giving each one a numeric rating ranging from –2 to 4. The higher the ability, the better. A –2 is quite awful while a 4 is outstanding; a 1 is average.
These can be assigned or rolled.
Assigning: Each of the nine attributes starts at 0. You get 10 advancements. Each advancement increases a stat by +1. No stat can be higher than +3. You must spend all 10. There are no additional advancements earned by reducing a stat.
Rolling: Roll 3d6 eight times in order. The attribute is then looked up as follows:
3: -2
4-5: -1
6-8: 0
9-11: +1
12-14: +2
15-17: +3
18: +4
After rolling, you can swap any two.
These Abilities will later be modified by racial traits.
During play your abilities can increase as you gain experience and learn how to better harness your natural aptitudes.Abilities are a key component of the game and you’ll be using them frequently. You’ll find it useful to understand the nature of each ability, so descriptions of them follow.
• Communication covers your character’s social skills, personal interactions, and ability to deal with others.
• Constitution is your character’s fortitude and resistance to harm.
• Cunning is a measure of your character's intelligence, knowledge, and education.
• Dexterity encompasses your character’s agility, hand-eye coordination, and quickness.
• Magic determines your character's innate arcane power.
• Perception covers all the senses and the ability to interpret sensory data.
• Strength is your character’s physical prowess.
• Willpower encompasses mental toughness, discipline, and confidence.
Ability Focuses
These customize the abilities above, like specializations. In game system terms, if you have a focus, your ability is effectively 2 higher than normal when working within that specialty.
Your character will get access to focuses through backgrounds, classes, and talents. Dragon Age includes the following focuses:
• Communication Focuses: Animal Handling, Bargaining, Deception, Disguise, Etiquette, Gambling, Investigation, Leadership, Performance, Persuasion, Seduction.
• Constitution Focuses: Drinking, Rowing, Running, Stamina, Swimming.
• Cunning: Arcane Lore, Brewing, Cartography, Cryptography, Cultural Lore, Enchantment, Engineering, Evaluation, Healing, Heraldry, Historical Lore, Military Lore, Musical Lore, Natural Lore, Navigation, Poison Lore, Qun, Research, Religious Lore, Writing
• Dexterity Focuses: Acrobatics, Bows, Brawling, Calligraphy, Crafting, Dueling, Grenades, Initiative, Legerdemain, Light Blades, Lock Picking, Riding, Staves, Stealth, Traps.
• Magic: Arcane Lance, Blood, Creation, Entropy, Primal, Spirit
• Perception Focuses: Detect Darkvision, Empathy, Hearing, Searching, Seeing, Smelling, Tracking.
• Strength Focuses: Axes, Bludgeons, Climbing, Driving, Heavy Blades, Intimidation, Jumping, Lances, Might, Polearms, Smithing, Spears.
• Willpower Focuses: Courage, Faith, Morale, Self-Discipline.